Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 through October 15. This is a time to honor the cultures and contributions of Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino/Latina/Latinx.
In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, students will participate in a variety of activities to learn more about the culture.
By Samuel Long.
Mexico City🇲🇽, July 2, 1989.
During a very successful first trip to Latin America His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet opened Casa Tibet Mexico, a center dedicated to the study of Tibetan culture the first of its kind in Latin America.
After visiting Costa Rica, His Holiness arrived in Mexico City where he attended a series of events which were very successful. His Holiness captivated the Mexican nation and the press in a way few could foresee: His Holiness was on the first page of all the Mexican newspapers for five consecutive days, and the extent of radio and television coverage was without precedent.
While in Mexico His Holiness attended an interfaith prayer for peace at the National Cathedral, and an International Conference on Global Priorities, and gave a public speech to over three thousand people. The public lecture was organized by Casa Tibet Mexico and sponsored by the Mexican Association of Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. His Holiness’ speech was translated by Jose Ignacio Cabezon and Marco Antonio Karam. Much of the audience was visibly moved and many could be seen in tears. At the end of the lecture the whole crowd spontaneously stood up and sang His Holiness an old traditional Mexican song (Las Mananitas) wishing him peace and happiness for his coming Birthday. His Holiness was invited by the Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari to meet with him at the Official Residence of Los Pinos as a gesture of goodwill. Here they discussed matters of global interest and concern. His Holiness also visited the pyramids of Teotihuacan and the Basilica de Guadalupe, where the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico, is revered.
On Sunday July 2nd, His Holiness inaugurated Casa Tibet Mexico during a very moving ceremony. The center is located in a beautiful 19th-century historical landmark in downtown Mexico City that was generously donated by Mr. Mauricio Karam and family. Behind the main house are several buildings, one of which has already been renovated and in which Casa Tibet Mexico now has its offices, a meditation hall, lecture halls and a library/bookstore. Renovation of the main building has already begun. It will house a large bookstore, a coffee shop, conference rooms, exhibition space, and offices and apartments for resident lamas and scholars as well as for visiting guests.
Casa Tibet Mexico is the first center dedicated to Tibet and its culture, and to a serious study of Tibetan Buddhism; not only in Mexico but in the whole of Latin America. The object is to create an outpost in Latin America for the preservation of Tibetan culture as well as to give people the opportunity to study and learn about this culture and the Dharma in Spanish. One of the major goals is the publication of books in Spanish, and several of the translation projects involve direct translations from Tibetan to Spanish.
A series of programs has been set up for this fall (general introductory courses on Buddhism and Tibetan culture). His Holiness has asked the center to invite his personal physician Tenzin Choedrak, whose visit we are tentatively planning for this November. Geshe Sopa will be spending part of the winter in Mexico City, and Lati Rinpoche and the Ganden Shartze Choir have been invited to come to Mexico as the last stop on their American Tour (Feb. 8 to 15, 1990). Also being organized is the Tibet-Latin America Network, designed to keep all Latinos in touch and informed about political/human rights developments.
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His Holiness the Dalai Lama Arrives in Mexico
October 12, 2013.
Mexico City, Mexico, 11 October 2013 – Following a brief farewell meeting with key organizers of his visit to Atlanta, His Holiness the Dalai Lama drove to the airport to board a flight to Mexico City. He was met on arrival by Marco Antonio Karam, founder and president of Casa Tibet Mexico. A throng of smiling and happy well-wishers awaited him at his hotel.
Shortly after arrival he met with the press. Introductions over he gave a short address before taking questions.
“First of all, I want to thank all those people involved with inviting me here and arranging this visit. Wherever I go I make two points. The first is that every human being wants to live in peace without being disturbed and everyone has a right to a peaceful life. These days, people rely too much on material things, while the real source of happiness is within. From the moment we’re born we have a need for affection, and the care and affection our parents, our mothers in particular, show us has a lasting impact on our lives. This is why I have an interest in promoting human values. “
He continued to explain that the second point he talks about wherever he goes is fostering inter-religious harmony. All the major religious traditions talk about the practice of love and compassion, which is why there ought to be respect and understanding between them.
His Holiness also had words of encouragement for the media, telling them it is their responsibility to make the public aware of such issues. Sometimes the media have a tendency to sensationalise stories, that’s ok, he said, but they should also be sure to report things that give people hope. He also advised the members of the media to have long noses like elephants to sniff out what’s going on, both in the open and behind the scenes. And whatever they discover they should report.
The first question was why His Holiness had come to Mexico.
“I was invited and it’s foolish to turn down a friendly invitation. In 1959 I escaped to India from Tibet and in the early 60s I visited Singapore and Japan, but it wasn’t until 1973 that I was able to travel to the West. And when I did I remember a journalist, Mark Tully of the BBC, asking me why I was going. I told him I consider myself a citizen of the world and I wanted to meet people. It’s the same today.”
He said that all over the world people are showing interest in Buddhist culture and philosophy, not least because Buddhism is basically about research and investigation, trying to find out about reality. It seems to parallel science inasmuch as science has detailed knowledge of the external world, while Buddhism has a thorough understanding of the mind. He made clear that, apart from his visits to Washington and Brussels, his travels abroad are not political, although he likes to ask how wide is the gap between rich and poor, wherever he goes, and how deep is corruption.
As the meeting came to a close, His Holiness was escorted to the other side of the stage where a curtain was drawn back to reveal a wax model of the Dalai Lama. He laughed and posed beside it for photographers saying: “There’s one in London, another in Australia and now this one here.”
He bid the press goodbye, telling them that he was looking forward to the opportunity in the coming days to explain Shantideva’s famous book ‘Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life.’
Gracias por las fotos. Es un gusto enorme verlo con su sonrisa plena.